Anybody know who the guy is? If memory serves, one of the pulled threads was based around that photo.
Posted on 07/10/2009 9:53:00 AM PDT by Jim Robinson
Yesterday, theHalfrican posted a link to the Free Republic Website where several of its regular members were bashing Malia Obama for wearing a peace symbol t-shirt. The thread had several derogotary, racist, and sexual remarks about Malia. It also included a picture of Michelle Obama speaking to Malia that was accompanied with a racist caption.
I wrote the media contact at Free Republic yesterday, kristinn@bellatlantic.net, questioning the nature of the posters and the site:
Hello. I am an independent writer developing a book about the grassroots conservative movement online, of which your site, Free Republic, is included as a primary online gathering place for conservatives.
Could you please tell me how the owner of the site feels about posts like this one:
http://www.freerepublic.com/...
...in which conservatives who post regularly at the site make several racist statements about the 11-year-old daughter of President Obama for wearing a t-shirt adorned with a peace symbol? Remarks included the following:
"We’re being represented by a family of ghetto trash." "Looks like a bunch of ghetto thugs. A stain on America."
"Looks like a typical street whore."
"What we now are sending the ghetto over to represent us. and if so who the hell is that flea bag who looks to be dragged from the trash dumpster."
"you could go down any ghetto right now and see exactly the same."
"could you imagine what world leaders must be thinking seeing this kind of street trash and that we paid for this kind of street ghetto trash to go over there"
"the world must be laughing like mad right now at that we have this kind of street trash in our white house."
"Wonder when she will have her first abortion."
"sad isn’t it that we now have ghetto street trash over there representing us in Europe."
"This disgusting display makes me more and more eager for the revolution.
"They make me sick.... The whole family... mammy, pappy, the free loadin’ mammy-in-law, the misguided chillin’, and especially ‘lil cuz... This is not the America I want representin’ my peeps."
In addition, the thread includes a picture of Michelle Obama speaking to her daughter with the caption, "To Entertain Her Daughter, Michelle Obama Likes to Make Monkey Sounds."
Before you dismiss this as only a minority of posters at the site, out of 100 posts on that thread I found only 1 that criticized such remarks. This is not the first time I have seen such an exhibition of blatant racism at Free Republic by members who regularly post there.
Here are my questions:
Does Free Republic condone this type of exercise in free speech?
Are these the type of participants Free Republic is happy to have posting at its site?
What is Free Republic's policy about posting racially offensive comments?
What is Free Republic's policy about making sexual insinuations about minors (particularly relevant in light of the David Letterman/Sarah Palin brouhaha)?
Does Free Republic believe its membership accurately represents the conservative movement?
Does the owner of Free Republic believe this kind of discourse is helpful to rebuilding the Republican Party and furthering its goals?
Thank you for your time, and I look forward to your responses.
went back to the site today and saw that the offending thread has been pulled "pending review."
http://www.freerepublic.com/...
I do note that Free Republic has a disclaimer on the first page that claims it does not condone this type of post; however, I am not sure when the disclaimer was added. Does anyone know?
From the disclaimer:
Opinions expressed on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Free Republic or its operators.
Please enjoy our forum, but also please remember to use common courtesy when posting and refrain from posting personal attacks, profanity, vulgarity, threats, racial or religious bigotry, or any other materials offensive or otherwise inappropriate for a conservative family audience.
Free Republic is a site dedicated to the concerns of traditional grassroots conservative activists. We're here to discuss and advance our conservative causes in a more or less liberal-free environment. We're not here to debate liberals. We do not want our pages filled with their arrogant, obnoxious, repugnant bile. Liberals, usurpers, and other assorted malcontents are considered unwelcome trolls on FR and their accounts and or posts will be summarily dismissed at the convenience of the site administrators.
Free Republic does not advocate or condone racism, violence, rebellion, secession, or an overthrow of the government.
So, the site will readily delete posts from liberals just because they are liberals and therefore everything they say is automatically considered "arrogant, obnoxious, repugant bile."
But comments calling an 11-year-old black girl "ghetto trash" and a "whore" are pulled "pending review." What is to review? Your site either supports that kind of rhetoric or it does not. Which is it?
If the Free Republic's "conservative family audience" consists of people who say such things as they often do (like yesterday), how conservative are they? And how family-oriented are they? Where were all the posts from other Free Republic regulars or from the owner of the site decrying this kind of racism directed at a child for no apparent reason than the fact that a peace symbol t-shirt inflamed their hatred to disgusting depths, like a red handkerchief in front of a mad bull?
Conservatives continually reinforce the fact that the only families they care about are conservative ones; the only troops they support are ones that do not vote democratic; the only children whose lives they value are the children of conservatives or unborn. How many of those aborted fetuses they claim to hold so dear would they trash had they been born and grown into a pre-teen who wore a t-shirt with a peace symbol or supported a liberal president? Or was gay?
The truth is that conservatives do not know the meaning of Jesus' words despite how much they love to use them when it suits their inner hatred of all those who are different. Worse, they lack basic human decency, as they demonstrate time and again.
so how many Nazi trolls have you busted here in your 5 years Jill?
can you be specific
i have only seen a few in 9 years...and one was actually a black homosexual lefty sending racist freepmails to known black freepers to shame us
I do agree though about the ‘you people’ ...lib provacateurs do that a lot
#415-
BRAVO!
I agree...and I said before, that her mother (or grandmother, Mrs. Robinson) should have pointed out that the shirt might be taken out of context. That said...
I had buy a birthday gift for a 12 year old classmate of my son. Just having boys left at home (my only daughter is 23), I hadn’t ventured into ‘tween’ land clothes shopping. Everything (it seemed) had a Peace sign on it. Its all retro-ish mod hippie stuff. That’s why this tee-shirt shouldn’t be made out to be such a ‘big deal.’ Hopefully, the Obama protocol staff will correct these types of issues in the future.
There is so much to ‘stuff’ out there, that really and trully ‘matters’ to call out Obama on...but his kid’s tee shirt (or hair) shouldn’t be on the radar screen.
Anybody know who the guy is? If memory serves, one of the pulled threads was based around that photo.
To Jill’s list, may I add the self styled bloggers, who link to their ‘godaddy’ domain named webpages (the ones trying to build their ‘hits’ up into the hundreds). Usually posted by noobs; linking to some tome they wrote.
Interesting point.
Ghetto means low-life (could also mean redneck for some) now. Funny how words mean different things at different periods in time. Same with white trash or trailer park, etc.
Interesting how some words/terms are accepted and some aren’t.
Excellent post!
1) No
2) Yes with regards to the boy, No if the girl...she's cute except for the silly shirt
3) Yes...obviously...a bad slur on any girl that age unless she's in porn with a fake ID
4) No to the ghetto comment but yes to the dumpster comment
5) I don't think the girl looks ghetto but the boy does
6) bad choice of words but yes I agree it sends a very poor image...too casual in her case and thuggy in his case to be frank and I don't like the shirt
guess I lied...can't just answer yes and no....
Absolutely the correct stance, in my opinion.
At the same time, OBAMA HAS GOT TO HIRE A BETTER PROTOCOL STAFF. Seriously! This is getting ridiculous. I’m surprised he didn’t give the Pope an autographed copy of “The Audacity of Hope”.
He looks like a ghetto punk....its wrong and RACISSSST to state the obvious. Its an upside down world we live in.
I hate bloggers unless I agree with them or they’re cute
I have seen him credited as a 15 year old cousin (from Michelle’s side of the family). On this ‘tour’ of Rome (they had just made gelato) they did dress very ‘teen.’ However, when the Obama girls went to the Russian President’s house...they wore very appropriate outfits (with really nice trench coats).
Do you think that family doesn’t diminish and disgrace this country?
Do you think they should be referred to as:
“We’re being represented by a family of ghetto trash.”
______________________________________
If they dress and act like it.....yes
“Looks like a bunch of ghetto thugs. A stain on America.”
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Did they?
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Looks like a typical street whore.”
_________________________
Maybe goes a little too far. I don’t think she looked like a whore, just trashy and totally inapropriate.
___________________________________________
“What we now are sending the ghetto over to represent us. and if so who the hell is that flea bag who looks to be dragged from the trash dumpster.”
___________________________
I completely agree, this poster was right. The picture says it all.
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“you could go down any ghetto right now and see exactly the same.”
_______________________________________
This is true, is it not?
________________________________________
“could you imagine what world leaders must be thinking seeing this kind of street trash and that we paid for this kind of street ghetto trash to go over there”
______________________________________
There isn’t a doubt in my mind that many of the world leaders and their friends, family were discussing them in the privacy of their hotel rooms or homes.
nothing racist or against any one in particular but anyone displaying the peace symbol is anti american trash!
Oh please! Of course it isn’t. Only to those suffering from white guilt or some minority victim mentality.
If you have to ask if the “ugly stereotype of Conservative racism true?” then you clearly don’t understand Conservatism at all.
I think alot of the ‘trouble’ stems from Michelle, thinking she knows everything (maybe that is why I get the impression she never liked Hillary...they both think they are the smartest woman in the room/world). She doesn’t. No one does. But there are people who do know specific, historically proper ‘ways.’ THAT IS WHO THEY NEED!!! Not cronie from ChiTown...
We’re being Alinskied, and we’re falling for it.
______________
I’m not falling for it
I would stick with the ‘agreeing’ with them idea...as to cuteness...well, what’s the great New Yorker cartoon, ‘nobody knows you’re a dog on the Internet?’
LoL...PaMom
Just curious - were those who posted the offensive garbage legit Freepers who had been around a while or newby trolls / “independent writers” looking to stirr up trouble?
I want the white racism to stop. However, I realize that won’t happen anytime soon. It’s cool to label white people as racist now and many whites wallow in their white guilt.
I realize that’s not PC to say but whatever.
Where was the outrage when Miley Cyrus (sp)/Hannah Montana was labeled a low life, trailer trash, slut, whore, etc. for pictures that were posted here?
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